Walk into any card room twenty years ago and you would find all the hold'em cash games were played with a limit betting structure. Limit hold'em was also a common tournament format, despite being described as "hours of boredom followed by brief moments of terror."
The poker boom of the early 2000s transformed that landscape, with no-limit hold'em rising supreme, and limit hold'em mostly consigned to grumpy old men and women muttering darkly about the "damn kids."
To the casual observer, Yuval "Yuvee" Bronshtein looks like one of the damn kids. However, the backwards-hat-beard combo and beaming smile disguise a player who has been on the poker tournament circuit for some time.
Last night, Bronshtein added to his impressive poker résumé by taking down Event #12 ($1500 Limit Hold'em) of the 2021 WSOP, along with the first prize of $124,274.
This is Bronshtein's second WSOP bracelet and his second largest live cash. Back in 2012 he had a deep run in the WSOP Main Event, finishing 23rd and taking home $294,601. His first WSOP bracelet came in the 2019 $1500 no-limit 2-7 lowball draw event. He also has WSOP Circuit Series and WPT victories on his long list of poker accomplishments.
Luckiest guy in the casino
Bronshtein's Twitter account reveals a self-deprecating individual. After noting simply that he just won a much-prized gold bracelet, he invited followers to attend the bracelet ceremony:
"If you are in town and wish to attend my WSOP bracelet ceremony-It will be tomorrow (Saturday) 12:15 pm in the Brazilia room!!!!!!"
His Twitter profile consists of one line: "luckiest guy in the casino."
Bronshtein noted that his victory required a bit of luck. He began the heads-up tilt with Kevin Erickson at a 3:1 chip disadvantage, and frequently dipped below that ratio before finally coming out victorious.
And while it's part of poker folklore that you need luck to win any tournament, Bronshtein's history of success at the WSOP and other series indicates his results stem from hard work.
Of particular note, Bronshtein has WSOP cashes in a wide range of poker variants, including 2-7 lowball, pot-limit hold'em, razz, seven-card stud and seven-card stud high-low, pot-limit omaha and PLO high-low, and a host of mixed games.
It seems that any form of poker that is played for big money has been mastered by Yuval Bronshtein. And while in any given tournament a deep run is assisted by good fortune, his overall results speak of much more than pure luck.
Featured image source: Twitter
